JP2007133302A - Electro-optic device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electro-optic device in which an image on either a left or right screen is visible in a double-screen display mode even in a frontal view of the electro-optic device. <P>SOLUTION: The electro-optic device 1 comprises: a light source 10, an image display liquid crystal panel 50 having pixels that display first and second images; a polarized light control liquid crystal panel 20 having a first polarized light control region 7a that polarizes the light emitting from the light source 10 into a first polarized light having a first polarization axis to exit and a second polarized light control region 7b that polarizes the light into a second polarized light having a second polarization axis to exit; and a lens 34 having a curved surface that makes the first polarized light from the first polarized light control region 7a exit in a first direction and makes the second polarized light from the second polarized light control region 7b exit in a second direction, wherein the width of the first polarized light control region 7a and the width of the second polarized light control region 7b differ from each other in a direction where the lens has the curved surface. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an electro-optical device.

Generally, a liquid crystal display device is designed to have a wide viewing angle so that an observer can view images of the same image quality from different angles with respect to the liquid crystal display device. This is because it is designed on the assumption that a plurality of observers visually recognize the same image from the liquid crystal display device.
In contrast, there are many applications where it is desirable for a plurality of observers to be able to view different images from the same liquid crystal display device. For example, in a car, the driver wants to view a satellite navigation image, and the passenger wants to see an entertainment image or the like. These conflicting requirements can be solved by providing two different liquid crystal display devices, but this has the problem of taking up extra space and increasing costs.

  In order to solve the above problem, a two-screen display device that simultaneously displays different images to observers located at different observation positions has been proposed. According to this display device, for example, when used in an in-vehicle application, the driver can view a navigation image with one liquid crystal display device, and the same person can simultaneously view an image such as an entertainment image. .

Here, a schematic configuration of a liquid crystal display device that simultaneously displays two different images according to the observation angle of the observer will be described.
The two-screen display device includes a display panel for displaying an image, a polarizing plate disposed on the viewer side of the display panel, and a barrier provided on the viewer side of the polarizing plate.
Furthermore, the two-screen display device disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a liquid crystal panel provided with a plurality of pixels for displaying a first image and a second image, and a parallax barrier having an opaque region and a slit region. . Pixels corresponding to each image are provided with R (red), G (green), and B (blue). In each slit region, a color filter is arranged corresponding to each pixel of the liquid crystal panel.
According to such a liquid crystal display device, it is possible to simultaneously display different images for observers located at different observation positions.
JP 2002-170919 A

  However, in the liquid crystal display device described in Patent Document 1 or the like, when the image is viewed from the front of the liquid crystal display device, the front direction is a boundary between the left and right images, and therefore, both images are viewed in a mixed state. It was. Furthermore, since the front of the liquid crystal display device is visually recognized as black, there is a problem in that any image cannot be visually recognized. When such a liquid crystal display device is used, for example, in an in-vehicle application (located in the front center of the vehicle), there is no problem with visual recognition by the passengers of the driver and passenger seat, but the liquid crystal display device is almost not seen from behind the rear seat. As described above, there is a problem that an image in which left and right images are mixed is visually observed.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to make it possible to visually recognize any of the left and right screen images even from the front of the electro-optical device in the two-screen display mode. To provide an apparatus.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a light source that emits light, an image display liquid crystal panel that includes pixels that display a first image and pixels that display a second image, the light source, and the image display. A first polarization control region that is disposed between the liquid crystal panel and the light emitted from the light source is polarized into a first polarized light having a first polarization axis, and has a second polarization axis. A polarization control liquid crystal panel having a second polarization control region that is polarized and emitted from the second polarized light, and is disposed between the image display liquid crystal panel and the polarization control liquid crystal panel, and the first polarization control. A lens having a curved surface that emits the first polarized light emitted from the region in a first direction and emits the second polarized light emitted from the second polarization control region in a second direction; Between the lens and the liquid crystal panel for image display And a retardation plate that controls the first polarized light to a polarization axis corresponding to the first image and controls the second polarized light to a polarization axis corresponding to the second image, and A width of the first polarization control region and a width of the second polarization control region in a direction having a curved surface of the lens are different.

According to this configuration, since the width of the first polarization control region and the width of the second polarization control region of the polarization control electro-optical panel are different from each other, the first polarized light and the second polarized light passing through these regions are emitted. The range of the region also varies depending on the size of the polarization control region. The first polarized light and the second polarized light are emitted in the first direction and the second direction by passing through the lens. The polarized light emitted in the first direction and the second direction is transmitted through the phase difference plate and the image display panel, the first image is displayed to the observer in the first direction, and the second image is the second image. Displayed to the observer in the direction of. At this time, the first image and the second image depend on each polarization control region of the electro-optical panel for polarization control, and the viewable range viewed from the upper surface of the electro-optical device is widened from the viewable range of one image. The viewing range of the image becomes narrower. That is, the display ranges of the first image and the second image are asymmetric. Therefore, for example, even an observer positioned in front of the electro-optical device can visually recognize either the first image or the second image.
Further, according to the present invention, by switching the polarization axes of the first polarization control region and the second polarization control region, the first image is displayed to the observer in the second direction, and the second image is displayed in the first direction. It can be displayed to the observer.

  In the electro-optical device according to the aspect of the invention, the lens includes a lenticular lens having a plurality of convex lens portions, and each of the convex lens portions includes the first polarization control region and the second polarization control of the liquid crystal panel for polarization control. It is also preferable that the regions are arranged in pairs.

  According to this configuration, the first polarized light that passes through the first polarization control region and the second polarized light that passes through the second polarization control region pass through the lens unit that is always in the set direction (the first direction Polarized light incident on the lens portion in the direction and the second direction can be emitted. Thereby, the first image can be displayed in the first direction, and the second image can be displayed in the second direction.

  In the electro-optical device according to the aspect of the invention, the image display liquid crystal panel includes a pair of opposingly arranged substrates that sandwich the liquid crystal, a first electrode provided on the liquid crystal side of the first substrate, and a second substrate. A second electrode provided on the liquid crystal side, and the second electrode is provided in the second polarization control region, and an electrode having a first electrode width provided in the first polarization control region. It is also preferable that the electrode having the second electrode width and the electrode having the first electrode width and the electrode having the second electrode width are provided with different electrode widths.

  According to this configuration, among the second electrodes, the electrode width of the electrode having the first electrode width is different from that of the electrode having the second electrode width, and therefore, between the second electrode and the first electrode. The range of the exit region of the polarized light that passes through the liquid crystal layer also varies depending on the electrode width of the second electrode. Therefore, the first polarized light emitted from the first polarization control region and the second polarized light emitted from the second polarization control region by applying a voltage to one of the second electrodes having different electrode widths. The range of the emission area can be made different.

  In the electro-optical device according to the aspect of the invention, the electrode having the first electrode width and the electrode having the second electrode width are provided with a gap therebetween, and the electrode width of the electrode having the second electrode width is provided. The width Db, which is the sum of the width Dd and the width De of the gaps at both ends of the electrode having the second electrode width, and the electrode width Da of the first electrode is either Da> Db or Da <Db. It is also preferable to satisfy the following condition.

  According to this structure, the magnitude | size (width | variety) of the voltage application part Da to which a voltage is always applied differs from the non-voltage application part Db to which a voltage is not applied. Thereby, the 1st polarized light and the 2nd polarized light from which the range of an output area differs can be obtained.

  In the electro-optical device according to the aspect of the invention, the image display liquid crystal panel includes a pair of opposingly arranged substrates that sandwich the liquid crystal, a first electrode provided on the liquid crystal side of the first substrate, and a second substrate. The second electrode provided on the liquid crystal side, the second electrode is composed of a plurality of electrodes, and the plurality of second electrodes are spaced apart from each other, and the first polarization control region The second electrode corresponds, the gap corresponds to the second polarization control region, and the electrode width Da of the second electrode and the gap Db satisfy the condition of either Da> Db or Da <Db. It is also preferable to satisfy

  According to this configuration, the gap between the second electrodes becomes a no-voltage application unit to which no voltage is applied. Thereby, since the electrode width, gap, and width of the second electrode are different, the size (width) of the voltage application portion Da to which voltage is always applied and the non-voltage application portion Db to which voltage is not applied are different. Therefore, the ranges of the emission regions of the first polarized light and the second polarized light emitted from the polarization control electro-optical panel can be made different.

  In the electro-optical device according to the aspect of the invention, a third polarization control region that emits light having a third polarization axis to the retardation plate, and light having a fourth polarization axis different from the third polarization axis. A fourth polarization control region to be emitted is provided, and the image display panel is alternately provided with a first pixel column for displaying the first image and a second pixel column for displaying the second image. The third polarization control region of the phase difference plate corresponds to the first pixel column of the image display liquid crystal panel, and the fourth polarization control region of the phase difference plate corresponds to the third pixel control region of the image display liquid crystal panel. It is also preferable to correspond to two pixel columns.

  According to this configuration, the first polarized light having the first direction is incident on the third polarization control region, and the second polarized light having the second direction is incident on the fourth polarization control region. The first image can be displayed in the second direction, and the second image can be displayed in the second direction. Thereby, a different image can be provided to observers with different observation positions.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In each drawing used for the following description, the scale of each member is appropriately changed to make each member a recognizable size.

  FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the liquid crystal display device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged view of the liquid crystal display device showing the relationship between the counter electrode of the polarization control liquid crystal panel and the lenticular lens. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the display operation of the liquid crystal display device according to the present embodiment. 3A and 3B are plan views for explaining the principle of the patterning phase difference plate. 5A and 5B are diagrams for explaining the display range and display image of the liquid crystal display device. In FIG. 2, the first polarized light emitted to the left side from the lenticular lens 34 and the second polarized light emitted to the right side are described separately. Further, in FIGS. 1 to 5, the direction perpendicular to the paper surface is an axis of 90 °, the angle to the right of the axis is plus (+), and the angle to the left is minus (−). To do.

(Liquid crystal display device)
As shown in FIG. 1, the liquid crystal display device 1 (electro-optical device) according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a backlight 10, a polarization control liquid crystal panel 20 (polarization control electro-optical panel), and a lenticular lens 34. And a patterning retardation plate 40 and an image display liquid crystal panel 50 (image display electro-optical panel).

  As the backlight 10 (light source), a cold cathode tube or an LED (light emitting diode) is used, and a light guide plate or a scattering plate is provided on these cold cathode tubes. The backlight 10 may be a light source that emits light entirely from an EL (Electroluminescence) element.

  The polarization control liquid crystal panel 20 is disposed on the observer (light emission side) side of the backlight 10 and separates the light emitted from the backlight 10 into two polarized lights having polarization axes in different directions. It has a function. The polarization control liquid crystal panel 20 includes a pair of opposed first and second substrates 26 and 28 and a liquid crystal layer 24 sandwiched between the pair of substrates 26 and 28. A lower polarizing plate 22 is disposed outside the first substrate 26 (on the side opposite to the liquid crystal layer). A common electrode 30 is formed in a solid (one surface) shape on the liquid crystal layer 24 side of the first substrate 26, and along the short direction of the second substrate 28 on the liquid crystal layer 24 side of the second substrate 28. A plurality of counter electrodes 32 are formed in a stripe shape.

  For the liquid crystal layer 24, so-called homogeneous alignment liquid crystal is used in which the long axis direction of the liquid crystal molecule group is aligned in parallel to the surfaces of the substrates 26 and 28. The liquid crystal aligned parallel to the substrate surface is aligned in a direction perpendicular to the substrate surface when a voltage is applied between the common electrode 30 and the counter electrode 32, and the voltage is applied to the common electrode 30 and the counter electrode 32. When no is applied, it is oriented in a direction parallel to the substrate surface.

  The lenticular lens 34 is disposed on the side opposite to the backlight 10 (light source) side with respect to the polarization control liquid crystal panel 20, and the polarized light emitted from each region of the polarization control liquid crystal panel 20 is directed in different directions. It has a function to collect light. The lenticular lens 34 is composed of a plurality of elongated semi-cylindrical lens portions 34a, the longitudinal directions of the lens portions 34a (convex lens portions) are parallel to each other, and the semi-cylindrical plane side of the liquid crystal panel 20 for polarization control. It arrange | positions so that the counter electrode 32 may be opposed.

Next, the relationship between the lenticular lens 34 and the counter electrode 32 of the polarization control liquid crystal panel 20 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. In FIG. 2, only the main parts of the counter electrode 32 of the lenticular lens 34 and the polarization controlling liquid crystal panel 20 are shown.
In the present embodiment, the counter electrode 32 of the polarization control liquid crystal panel 20 includes a stripe-shaped counter electrode 32a having an electrode width Da and a stripe-shaped counter electrode 32b having an electrode width Dc, as shown in FIGS. Two striped electrodes having different electrode widths corresponding to one lens portion extending in a columnar shape are arranged along this. Here, the electrode width Da of the counter electrode 32a and the electrode width Dc of the counter electrode 32b satisfy the relationship of Da <Dc, as shown in FIG. That is, the electrode width Dc of the counter electrode 32b is formed wider than the electrode width Da of the counter electrode 32a.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the two counter electrodes 32a and 32b having different electrode widths are alternately arranged with gaps Dd and De. Here, if a voltage is applied between the common electrode 30 and the counter electrode 32a and no voltage is applied between the common electrode 30 and the counter electrode 32b, the counter electrode 32a and the counter electrode 32b having different electrode widths are used. Since no electrode is arranged in the gaps Dd and De between the two, a voltage is not applied. Therefore, in this case, the counter electrode 32b (the electrode width Dc portion) and the gaps Dd and De become the non-voltage application portion Db to which no voltage is applied. On the other hand, since the portion to which the voltage is applied and the electrode width Da of the counter electrode 32a are the same, the portion of the counter electrode 32a having the electrode width Da becomes the voltage application portion Da.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the opposing electrodes 32a and 32b having different electrode widths and the gaps Dd and De between the opposing electrodes 32a and 32b are arranged so as to form a pair (pair) with one semi-cylindrical lens portion 34a. Has been. At this time, the pattern width D1 of one lens part 34a and the voltage application part Da of the counter electrode 32a and the non-voltage application part Db (Da + Db (Db = Dc + Dd + De)) of the counter electrode 32b satisfy the relationship D1 = Da + Db. Furthermore, the electrode application part Da and the no-voltage application part Db in the counter electrode 32 satisfy the relationship Da <Db, that is, the width of the electrode application part Da and the width of the no-voltage application part Db are asymmetric. It is configured.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, a lower polarizing plate 22 is disposed between the backlight 10 and the polarization control liquid crystal panel 20, and in this embodiment, the transmission axis of the lower polarizing plate 22 is the counter electrode. It is arranged at a position of 45 ° (−45 °) clockwise (clockwise) with respect to the direction intersecting (orthogonal) with the striped electrodes 32a and 32b. When polarized light having the first polarization axis that has passed through the lower polarizing plate 22 enters the voltage application portion Da of the polarization control liquid crystal panel configured in this way, the polarized light travels straight while maintaining the polarization state as it is. The first polarized light having the first polarization axis is emitted to the lenticular lens 34 side. In the present embodiment, the region including the voltage application unit Da is referred to as a first polarization control region 7a as shown in FIG. That is, a region corresponding to one of the two striped electrodes having different electrode widths (the counter electrode 32a having the electrode width Da) is referred to as a first polarization control region 7a. On the other hand, when the polarized light having the first polarization axis is incident on the no-voltage application unit Db, the polarized light is twisted and polarized to the second polarized light having the second polarization axis different from the direction of the first polarization axis. Is emitted toward the lenticular lens 34. In the present embodiment, the region including the no-voltage applying part Db (that is, the region where the electrode width Dc portion of the counter electrode 32b and the gaps Dd and De portions are combined) is subjected to the second polarization control as shown in FIG. This is referred to as region 7b.

  Returning to FIG. 1, a patterning retardation plate 40 (retardation plate) is disposed between the image display liquid crystal panel 50 and the lenticular lens 34. As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the patterning phase difference plate 40 is configured to have regions that are individually patterned by changing the directions of the optical axes. A first region 40a (third polarization control region) set to 90 ° with respect to the direction extending in a stripe shape and an optical axis 45 ° (with respect to the direction extending in a stripe shape). And a second region 40b (fourth polarization control region) set in a counterclockwise direction having an optical axis in a 45 ° direction. That is, the first region 40a and the second region 40b are alternately arranged in a stripe shape along the longitudinal direction of the retardation plate. Further, the longitudinal direction of the patterned stripe is arranged so as to intersect (orthogonal) each lens portion of the lenticular lens 34 described above extending in the stripe shape. In the present embodiment, first regions 40a with an optical axis of 90 ° are arranged in odd rows (front side in FIG. 1), and second regions 40b with an optical axis of 45 ° are arranged in even rows. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the width in the short direction of each of the first region 40a and the second region 40b is substantially equal to the width of a pixel provided in an image display panel described later. It has been.

  The image display liquid crystal panel 50 includes a pair of opposed first and second substrates 58 and 60, a liquid crystal layer 64 sandwiched between the substrates 58 and 60, and a plurality of pixels 62. Further, a lower polarizing plate 52 is disposed outside the first substrate 58 (on the side opposite to the liquid crystal layer 64), and an upper polarizing plate 56 is disposed outside the second substrate 60. In the present embodiment, the image display liquid crystal panel 50 is a total transmission type, and the liquid crystal layer 64 uses a TN mode (Twisted Nematic) liquid crystal. Here, among the plurality of pixels 62 provided in the image display liquid crystal panel 50, the odd pixel column 2a (first pixel column) displays the image L (second image) and the even pixel column 2b (second pixel). In the column), an image R (first image) is displayed, and different images are displayed in the odd pixel column 2a and the even pixel column 2b. At this time, the first region 40a of the patterning phase difference plate 40 and the odd pixel row 2a of the pixels of the image display liquid crystal panel 50 are arranged so as to overlap in a plane, and the second region 40b of the patterning phase difference plate 40 and the image are arranged. The display liquid crystal panel 50 is arranged so as to overlap the even-numbered pixel row 2b of the pixels in a plane. Thereby, the polarized light transmitted through the first region 40a of the patterning phase difference plate 40 is incident on the odd-numbered pixel column 2a, and the polarized light transmitted through the second region 40b is incident on the even-numbered pixel column 2b. .

(Dual screen display mode)
Next, the display operation in the two-screen display mode of the liquid crystal display device of this embodiment will be described.
As shown in FIG. 4, the light emitted from the backlight 10 enters the lower polarizing plate 22 of the polarization control liquid crystal panel 20, and only the polarized light having the first polarization axis of −45 ° is lower polarizing plate 22. Transparent. The polarized light having a −45 ° polarization axis incident on the polarization control liquid crystal panel 20 is transmitted through the first polarization control region 7 a and the second polarization control region 7 b of the polarization control liquid crystal panel 20. Here, as described above, the first polarization control region 7 a is a voltage application unit, and the liquid crystal molecules are aligned perpendicular to the surfaces of the substrates 26 and 28. On the other hand, the second polarization control region 7b is a no-voltage application unit, and the liquid crystal molecules are twisted and aligned in parallel between the substrates 26 and 28, for example, 90 °. Therefore, of the polarized light incident on the liquid crystal layer 24, the polarized light transmitted through the first polarization control region 7a goes straight as it is aligned with the liquid crystal molecules and has the first polarization axis (−45 °). The light is emitted from the polarization control liquid crystal panel 20 as one polarized light. On the other hand, the polarized light transmitted through the second polarization control region 7b is twisted by 90 ° (−45 ° to + 45 °), for example, along with the orientation of the liquid crystal molecules, and the second polarization axis (+ 45 °) has the second polarization axis. The light is emitted from the polarization control liquid crystal panel 20 as two-polarized light.

  In the present embodiment, as described above, the voltage application portion Da (electrode width of the counter electrode 32a) of the first polarization control region 7a is equal to the non-voltage application portion Db (electrode width of the counter electrode 32b) of the second polarization control region 7b. It is set to be narrower than (+ gap). Therefore, the range of the emission region of the first polarized light emitted from the first polarization control region 7a is narrower than the range of the emission region of the second polarized light emitted from the second polarization control region 7b. That is, in the angle range that is emitted in the direction along the curved surface of the lens portion of the lenticular lens 34 (the direction in which the lens portions are adjacently arranged), the angle range in which the first polarized light is emitted is the second polarized light. It is narrower than the outgoing angle range.

  The first polarized light emitted from the first polarization control region 7 a of the polarization control liquid crystal panel 20 and the second polarized light emitted from the second polarization control region 7 b are incident on a lens portion 34 a that is a set of lenticular lenses 34. To do. Then, the first polarized light incident from the first polarization control region 7a (on the left side with respect to the lens portion 34a) is condensed in the right direction as shown in FIG. 2 by the refractive index of the lens portion 34a to be lenticular lens. 34. On the other hand, the second polarized light incident from the second polarization control region (right side) is condensed in the left direction and emitted from the lenticular lens 34 by the refractive index of the lens portion 34a as shown in FIG. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the range of the emission region of the first polarized light emitted from the lenticular lens 34 is narrower than the range of the emission region of the second polarized light.

  Returning to FIG. 4, the first polarized light and the second polarized light emitted from the lenticular lens 34 enter the patterning retardation plate 40. Here, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the optical axis of the first area 40a of the patterning retardation plate 40 is set to + 90 °, and the optical axis of the second area 40b is set to + 45 °. ing. The optical axis of the first polarized light emitted from the first polarization control region 7a of the polarization control liquid crystal panel 20 is −45 °, and the optical axis of the second polarized light emitted from the second polarization control region 7b. Is + 45 °.

First, the 1st polarized light which injects into the patterning phase difference plate 40 is demonstrated with reference to Fig.3 (a).
When the first polarized light (left side) transmitted through the first polarization control region 7a, which is a voltage application unit of the polarization control liquid crystal panel 20, enters the patterning retardation plate 40, the first region 40a of the patterning retardation plate 40 The first polarized light is incident with a deviation of + 45 ° with respect to the polarization axis (+ 90 °) of the retardation plate. Therefore, the phase of the first polarized light transmitted through the first region 40a of the patterning phase difference plate 40 is advanced by 90 °, and the polarization axis is changed to + 45 ° (relative to the optical axis of the odd-numbered rows of the patterning phase difference plate 40). . This polarized light having a polarization axis of + 45 ° is referred to as third polarized light. On the other hand, in the second region 40b of the patterning retardation plate 40, the first polarized light is incident with a deviation of + 90 ° with respect to the polarization axis (−45 °) of the retardation plate. Therefore, the second polarized light transmitted through the second region 40b of the patterning phase difference plate 40 has a polarization axis of −45 ° that is in phase with the incident phase. This polarized light having a polarization axis of −45 ° is referred to as fourth polarized light. As described above, the first polarized light is transmitted through the first region 40a and the second region 40b of the patterning retardation plate 40, thereby further converting the third polarized light and the fourth polarized light having two different polarization axes. To be separated.

Next, the second polarized light incident on the patterning phase difference plate 40 will be described with reference to FIG.
When the second polarized light (right side) transmitted through the second polarization control region 7b, which is a no-voltage application unit of the polarization control liquid crystal panel 20, enters the patterning retardation plate 40, the first region 40a of the patterning retardation plate 40 The second polarized light is incident with a deviation of −45 ° with respect to the polarization axis (+ 90 °) of the retardation plate. Therefore, the phase of the first polarized light transmitted through the first region 40a of the patterning retardation plate 40 advances by 90 °, and the polarization axis changes to −45 °. This polarized light having a polarization axis of −45 ° is referred to as fifth polarized light. On the other hand, in the second region 40b of the patterning phase difference plate 40, the second polarized light is incident with a phase difference of 0 ° with respect to the polarization axis (+ 45 °) of the phase difference plate. Therefore, the second polarized light transmitted through the second region 40b of the patterning retardation plate 40 has a polarization axis + 45 ° that is in phase with the incident phase. This polarized light having a polarization axis of + 45 ° is referred to as sixth polarized light. As described above, the second polarized light is further separated into the fifth polarized light and the sixth polarized light having two different polarization axes by transmitting the first region 40a and the second region 40b of the patterning retardation plate 40. Is done. The fourth polarized light (emitted from the second region 40b of the patterning retardation plate 40) separated from the first polarized light and the fifth polarized light (first of the patterning retardation plate 40) separated from the second polarized light. The emission axes of the regions 40a coincide with each other.

  Each of the third to sixth polarized light beams transmitted through the patterning retardation plate 40 is incident on the lower polarizing plate 52 of the image display liquid crystal panel 50 as shown in FIG. Here, the polarization axis of the lower polarizing plate 52 is set to + 45 °. Accordingly, the third polarized light and the sixth polarized light having a polarization axis of + 45 ° are transmitted through the lower polarizing plate, and the fourth polarized light and the fifth polarized light are blocked by the lower polarizing plate 52. Specifically, the sixth polarized light that has passed through the second region 40b of the patterning retardation plate 40 is incident on the even-numbered pixel row 2b of the image display liquid crystal panel 50 that is disposed in a planarly overlapping position. On the other hand, the third polarized light that has passed through the first region 40a of the patterning retardation plate 40 is incident on the odd-numbered pixel row 2a of the image display liquid crystal panel 50 that is arranged in a planarly overlapping position. Here, the image R is displayed in the odd pixel column 2a, and the image L is displayed in the even pixel column 2b. In addition, the code | symbol 52a of FIG. 4 has shown the polarization axis of each polarized light after passing the lower polarizing plate 52 (1st area | region 40a and 2nd area | region 40b).

  The third polarized light passes through the liquid crystal layer 64 and the upper polarizing plate 56 of the image display liquid crystal panel 50 and is emitted from the image display liquid crystal panel 50. At this time, the light transmitted through the image display liquid crystal panel 50 is refracted at a predetermined angle by the lenticular lens 34 and is located on the right side of the image display liquid crystal panel 50 as shown in FIG. The light is emitted in the (first direction). Thereby, the observer C can visually recognize the image R. As shown in FIG. 5B, the image R is composed of odd-numbered pixel columns 2a of the image display liquid crystal panel 50.

  The sixth polarized light passes through the liquid crystal layer 64 and the upper polarizing plate 56 of the image display liquid crystal panel 50 and is emitted from the image display liquid crystal panel 50. At this time, the light transmitted through the image display liquid crystal panel 50 is refracted at a predetermined angle by the lenticular lens 34 to the left side from the observer B positioned at the center of the liquid crystal display device 1 as shown in FIG. The light is emitted in the direction (second direction) of the range of the observer C located. Thereby, the viewers B and C can visually recognize the image L. As shown in FIG. 5B, the image L is composed of even-numbered pixel columns 2b of the image display liquid crystal panel 50.

  That is, in the present embodiment, the voltage application unit Da of the first polarization control region 7a of the polarization control liquid crystal panel 20 is set smaller than the no-voltage application unit Db of the second polarization control region 7b. Thus, if the direction extending in the direction perpendicular to the front from the front center of the image display liquid crystal panel is a center line O in which the image R and the image L of the image display liquid crystal panel can be viewed symmetrically, the image L is The viewing range is enlarged and displayed while being shifted to the right with respect to the center line O (for example, about 10 degrees).

  According to the present embodiment, since the width of the second polarization control region 7b (non-voltage application unit) is set larger than the width of the first polarization control region 7a (voltage application unit) of the polarization control liquid crystal panel 20, The viewable range as viewed from the upper surface of the liquid crystal display device 1 has a wider viewable range of the image L corresponding to the second polarization control region 7b and a narrower viewable range of the image R corresponding to the first polarization control region 7a. That is, the display range of the image R and the image L is asymmetric. Thereby, the observer located in front of the liquid crystal display device 1 can view only the image L, not the image in which the image R and the image L are mixed.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
In the above embodiment, the counter electrode is formed in each of the first polarization control region and the second polarization control region of the polarization control liquid crystal panel. On the other hand, this embodiment is different from the above embodiment in that no counter electrode is formed in the second polarization control region. Since the basic configuration of the liquid crystal display device is the same as that of the first embodiment, common constituent elements are denoted by the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof is omitted.

FIG. 6 is a partially enlarged view of the liquid crystal display device showing the relationship between the counter electrode 32 and the lenticular lens 34 of the polarization control liquid crystal panel 20.
On the liquid crystal layer 24 side of the second substrate 28 of the polarization control liquid crystal panel 20, a plurality of counter electrodes 32 are formed in stripes along the short direction of the second substrate 28. Each of the plurality of counter electrodes 32 is spaced apart with a gap Db. The counter electrode 32 and the gap Db between the counter electrodes 32 and 32 are arranged as a set in one lens portion 34 a of the lenticular lens 34. That is, one counter electrode 32 is arranged corresponding to one lens portion 34a. At this time, when a voltage is applied between the common electrode 30 and the counter electrode 32, the counter electrode 32 becomes the voltage application part Da, and the gap between the counter electrodes 32, 32 becomes the no-voltage application part Db.

  When polarized light having the first polarization axis is incident on the voltage application unit Da of the polarization control liquid crystal panel 20 having the above configuration, the polarized light travels straight and is emitted as the first polarized light having the first polarization axis. Is done. In the present embodiment, a region including the voltage application unit Da is referred to as a first polarization control region 7a. On the other hand, when the polarized light having the first polarization axis is incident on the no-voltage applying unit Db, the polarized light is twisted and polarized and emitted to the second polarized light having the second polarization axis. In the present embodiment, a region including the no-voltage application unit Db is referred to as a second polarization control region 7b.

  The pattern width D1 of one lens portion 34a constituting the lenticular lens 34 and the gap Db between the counter electrodes 32 and 32 satisfy the relationship D1 = Da + Db. Furthermore, the electrode application part Da and the non-voltage application part Db in the counter electrode 32 satisfy the relationship Da <Db. That is, the width of the electrode application part Da and the width of the no-voltage application part Db are asymmetric.

  According to the present embodiment, it is possible to obtain the same effects as those of the first embodiment. That is, since the second polarization control region 7b (non-voltage application unit) is set larger than the first polarization control region 7a (voltage application unit) of the polarization control liquid crystal panel 20, the liquid crystal display device 1 is viewed from above. The visible range of the image L corresponding to the second polarization control region 7b is widened, and the visible range of the image R corresponding to the first polarization control region 7a is narrowed. Thereby, the observer located in front of the liquid crystal display device 1 can view only the image L, not the image in which the image R and the image L are mixed.

It should be noted that the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and includes those in which various modifications are made to the above-described embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
For example, in the first embodiment, the voltage application states of the counter electrodes 32a and 32b of the polarization control liquid crystal panel can be switched. That is, the counter electrode 32a and the common electrode 30 are turned off, and the counter electrode 32b and the common electrode 30 are turned on. As a result, it is possible to display the image L and the image R by switching the left and right.
In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the relationship between the voltage application unit Da and the no-voltage application unit Db can be set to Da> Db.

1 is an exploded perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a liquid crystal display device according to a first embodiment. It is the elements on larger scale of the liquid crystal display device which show the relationship between the counter electrode of the liquid crystal panel for polarization control, and a lenticular lens. (A) And (b) is a figure for demonstrating the principle of a patterning phase difference plate. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the display operation of the liquid crystal display device which concerns on this embodiment. (A) And (b) is a figure for demonstrating the display range and display image of a liquid crystal display device. It is the elements on larger scale of the liquid crystal display device which shows the relationship between the counter electrode of the liquid crystal panel for polarization control which concerns on 2nd Embodiment, and a lenticular lens.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Liquid crystal display device (electro-optical device), 2a ... Odd pixel row | line | column (1st pixel row | line | column), 2b ... Even-numbered pixel row | line | column (2nd pixel row | line | column), 7a ... 1st polarization control area | region, 7b ... 2nd polarization control area | region DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Back light (light source) 20 ... Polarization control liquid crystal panel (polarization control electro-optical panel), 26 ... 1st board | substrate, 28 ... 2nd board | substrate, 30 ... Common electrode, 32 ... Counter electrode, 34 ... Lenticular Lens 34a ... Lens part 40 ... Patterning phase difference plate (phase difference plate) 40a ... First region (third polarization control region) 40b ... Second region (fourth polarization control region) 50 ... For image display LCD panel (electro-optical panel for image display)

Claims (6)

A light source that emits light;
An image display liquid crystal panel having pixels for displaying the first image and pixels for displaying the second image;
A first polarization control region disposed between the light source and the image display liquid crystal panel and polarizing and emitting light emitted from the light source into first polarized light having a first polarization axis; A polarization control liquid crystal panel having a second polarization control region that is polarized and emitted by the second polarized light having two polarization axes;
Arranged between the image display liquid crystal panel and the polarization control liquid crystal panel, the first polarized light emitted from the first polarization control region is emitted in a first direction, and the second polarization control is performed. A lens having a curved surface for emitting the second polarized light emitted from the region in a second direction;
The first polarized light is disposed between the lens and the image display liquid crystal panel, and the first polarized light is controlled to a polarization axis corresponding to the first image, and the second polarized light is polarized corresponding to the second image. A retardation plate for controlling the shaft,
An electro-optical device, wherein a width of the first polarization control region and a width of the second polarization control region in a direction having the curved surface of the lens are different. The lens comprises a lenticular lens having a plurality of convex lens portions;
2. The electricity according to claim 1, wherein each of the convex lens portions includes the first polarization control region and the second polarization control region of the polarization control liquid crystal panel arranged in pairs. Optical device. The liquid crystal panel for image display includes a pair of opposed substrates sandwiching liquid crystal, a first electrode provided on the liquid crystal side of the first substrate, and the first electrode provided on the liquid crystal side of the second substrate. Two electrodes,
The second electrode is composed of an electrode having a first electrode width provided in the first polarization control region and an electrode having a second electrode width provided in the second polarization control region,
The electro-optical device according to claim 2, wherein the electrode having the first electrode width and the electrode having the second electrode width are provided with different electrode widths. The electrode having the first electrode width and the electrode having the second electrode width are provided with a gap therebetween,
A width Db obtained by combining the electrode width Dc of the electrode having the second electrode width and the width Dd and the width De of the gaps at both ends of the electrode having the second electrode width; and the electrode width Da of the first electrode 4. The electro-optical device according to claim 3, wherein a condition of either Da> Db or Da <Db is satisfied. The liquid crystal panel for image display includes a pair of opposed substrates sandwiching liquid crystal, a first electrode provided on the liquid crystal side of the first substrate, and the first electrode provided on the liquid crystal side of the second substrate. Two electrodes,
The second electrode is composed of a plurality of electrodes, the plurality of second electrodes are spaced apart from each other, the second electrode corresponds to the first polarization control region, and the second polarization control region Corresponds to the gap,
3. The electro-optical device according to claim 2, wherein the electrode width Da of the second electrode and the gap Db satisfy a condition of either Da> Db or Da <Db. The retardation plate has a third polarization control region for emitting light having a third polarization axis, and a fourth polarization control region for emitting light having a fourth polarization axis different from the third polarization axis. And the image display panel is alternately provided with first pixel columns for displaying the first image and second pixel columns for displaying the second image,
The third polarization control region of the retardation plate corresponds to the first pixel column of the image display liquid crystal panel, and the fourth polarization control region of the retardation plate is the second polarization control region of the image display liquid crystal panel. The electro-optical device according to claim 1, wherein the electro-optical device corresponds to a pixel column.

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